Focusing on your website design is vital to building your business. Right now, there are almost 1.7 billion websites that we can find online and each of them varies in their ways. Moreover, choosing the type and design of your website can be challenging.
If you are a business owner or a designer, it is important that you have to be familiar with the different types of web pages out there to help you decide which of these will satisfy your needs. You need to study what is being used by your competitors and do some testing so you can create the perfect design for your brand and specific customer base.
Homepages
The homepage is the main hub of your website and acts as the face of your brand. The homepage can help your visitors get to the different sections of your website and it also acts as the conversion funnel. Since most of your visitors come to you through your homepage, then its design is very crucial.
There are numerous forms of a homepage, however, it is essential to consider the purpose of the homepage when designing the page. Remember that this is the main navigation and as much as possible you have to prioritize the interest of your visitors.
Create a clear statement on what your business is all about and at the same time, provide the unique value proposition (UVP) right away. On the homepage, you must be able to successfully establish the navigation structure and hierarchy. Use your brand’s logo, images, and color palette on this page. The tone of your business will be determined based on your homepage therefore you have to ensure that your words and images tell who you are.
A good example of this is the homepage of Matcha Kari. You will notice that the navigation at the top of the page sets the tone for the entire website. Since this page serves as a starting point for conversion funnel, then visitors are provided the chance to subscribe to the mailing list, get coupons, or watch videos about their products.
Magazine Websites
This type of website features images, videos, and articles that are educational and informational. During the last few years, the magazine industry has quickly evolved from using the print-only platform to the digital format. The magazine website is ideal for informational websites such as publications from organizations and schools.
When creating a magazine site, you should begin by establishing the basic framework. Ideally, you should use a similar layout and navigation on your homepage as well as on your articles. Make sure that the overall design is responsive to different types of screen sizes so the users can easily read your content whether on desktops, smartphones, and other devices.
The online magazine website of Urban Omnibus has a fairly traditional design. Their current issue highlights a hero image along with a box that includes a description of the feature article. Below the featured post is a grid layout of every column accompanied by a headline, an image, and a short description of what the users can expect inside each article.
E-commerce Websites
This is an online shopping website where your customers can purchase products and services from your business. An effective e-commerce website must be easy to browse, products should be filtered based on each category, special sales are being highlighted and most of all customers can easily make their purchases.
The easiest way to help you get started is by using a complete solution e-commerce platform such as Squarespace or Shopify. In this platform, listing new products and updating the inventory can be done easily. Additionally, since the system is interconnecting the sales, marketing, and logistics then issues are less likely to occur. When it comes to designing your e-commerce website, there are a lot of templates to choose from. So, be sure to select the one that matches to the needs of your business.
Flipkart features a lot of items on their homepage because they are selling a wide range of products. Aside from breaking down their items into specific categories, they also feature highlighted deals of the day. Every image that they use looks clear and professional, however, the descriptions are brief since more details can be found on the product page.
Blogs
However, for smaller companies, blogs can be a bit complicated. That is why, it is important that before you start launching your blog, you should have an incredible team and an effective strategy so you can keep your content fresh. In fact, rather than having outdated blogs, you could choose to have a few guides or videos.
Nourish Eats keep their site simple yet more focused on the content. Rather than using a slider at the top, they incorporate a rotating slider to the right which shows the different categories of the site. This can keep the content always fresh and engage more users. Users can either use the arrows to go back and forth or navigate at any point.
Portfolio Websites
A portfolio website is where creative professionals can showcase their outstanding projects. This is ideal for writers, artists, filmmakers, designers, furniture builders, etc.
When building your portfolio, it is not necessary that you should include every single project that you have accomplished. Rather, you could concentrate on building categories for these projects and highlight your best work from each category. A portfolio website is more creative by nature, therefore, this is the time that you should try using unique layouts and incorporate exciting features.
The portfolio of designer Gautier Maillard is a perfect example of this. It is done creatively and highlights the best projects. As you scroll down the page, you can see different images are being highlighted.
Landing Pages
A landing page is specifically created for building a marketing campaign that encourages visitors to take necessary action. The content dedicated to a landing page should be restricted and must point toward the call-to-action (CTA) which you want the user to take. There should be a lot of white space around your CTA and be sure to include elements that are not related to the campaign.
The landing page of Shopify’s free trial has a simple headline and includes a call to action which says “Start free trial.”
Social Media Websites
There are about 2.77 billion people on social media right now who are using different kinds of platforms. Regardless of who your target audience is, you can find most of them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Snapchat. You are not permitted to change the design of the platforms themselves, however, you can change the appearance of your page. Also, you can create unique content that can drive social media shares.
Make sure that all your web pages and social media pages have a consistent look. In this way, users can easily recognize your brand behind every page. For instance, you should use the same color choices and logo. Also, there should be a particular voice and personality on all your content.
In creating your content, you should focus more on the things that have a high probability of being shared on social media. For instance, memes, infographics, entertaining videos, free offers, as well as in-depth reports.
The Facebook page of Nutella includes a mixture of content and uses the same color palette. It also features interesting memes especially made for social media.
Directory and Contact Pages
Contact pages and directory are the places where the users can connect with businesses or individuals. This type of website is perfect if you want to create a list of businesses or a list of the members within the organization.
For instance, a local restaurant directory provides a list of eateries within the area including their menu, prices, reviews, and contact information. A directory website is perfect for any type of organization. An organization of local dentists in a city which consist of a list of its members along with their area of expertise as well as their contact information.
Manta is a business directory website where you can find small businesses based on location. Aside from its keyword search capability, It also offers different categories in various areas, for instance, doctors, contractors, and restaurants.
Choose the Appropriate Type of Website for Your Audience
When it comes to good design, it does not only refer to its appealing look but rather it should be able to drive user engagement and should focus on the needs of your target audience. Observe how other companies design their website and try to recognize which format works perfectly for each project. Learning how others have accomplished different types of websites can help you in feeling more confident about the kind of website that works best for you.
How to Get A Website Design That Is Perfect for Your Brand
If you want to create a website that you and your target audience will love, then you should get a talented professional web designer. At Agile Development, we can help you build your website. We will explore all the options, so we can find which type of website fits your brand and target audience. For more information, you can contact us at (385) 685-0642 or send your message at admin@agiledev.org.
Recent Comments